Are dog thieves operating in central Victoria?

The thought of your pet being stolen and used in a breeding farm or fighting ring is truly horrifying.

There are growing concerns that this is indeed happening around central Victoria, with warnings spreading widely across social media.

Facebook pages like 'Dog theft tracking Australia wide' and 'Dog theft Victoria' have thousands of people sharing warnings and reporting suspicious behaviour in their neighbourhoods.

Real information surrounding what actually goes on with stolen dogs however is scarce - anecdotes suggest that smaller dogs are used as 'bait' to give other dogs the taste of blood, while larger breeds may be used to fight. Purebred dogs are said to be used as breeding dogs for puppy farms.

Some of the tactics allegedly used by thieves to scout for animals include marking target houses with paint, chalk or ribbons or even posing as door-to-door salesmen. They then either return themselves or leave someone else to do the dirty work.

It's a nightmare scenario on all levels - having your home invaded, losing a beloved member of the family and imagining the pain and suffering it might suffer at the hands of others.

Nightmare might be an appropriate description in more ways than one, because while the sharing of warnings on social media is plentiful, it also greatly outpaces the reports actually made to police.

"We're not aware of an issue of theft of pets across Bendigo, certainly not in the last couple of weeks. There's nothing to indicate there's a spate of that sort of thing in this division," says a Bendigo Police spokesperson.

It's not to say that dog fighting has never occurred in Victoria, with a number of dogs stolen in and around Melbourne's west suspected of being involved with dogfights.

Are dogs going missing as part of underground dog fighting rings an urban myth or a major issue?

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, with police saying that overall home security in general is a greater concern.

They're keen for dog owners to remain calm about the threat and to keep a clear perspective on the safety of their homes and their property.

"Pets are something that people are very defensive about, but with burglaries, too many people leave their houses unsecured - doors open, windows open when they're not in attendance. That's a basic thing that seems to repeat itself quite a bit," say Bendigo Police.

So whether the reports on social media are completely true, completely false, or even a little of both, keeping your house and all those within it safe is always worth doing properly.